The Reel Critic

Author: Gabe Broughton

"Munich" is Steven Spielberg's second film in a year to deal at least obliquely with terrorism. Spielberg and his star, Tom Cruise, were quite vocal about their shared enthusiasm for the applicability of "War of the Worlds" to global terrorism. Of course, "War of the Worlds" concerned terrorism about as much as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" was a metaphor for the modern marriage; that is, in premise only. "Munich," the better of Spielberg's two efforts, takes on terrorism more directly.

The film begins with the kidnap and murder of 11 Israelis at the 1972 Olympics by the terrorist organization Black September. This event serves as the catalyst for the action of the film. Next, Spielberg does something interesting: he provides an extended montage of archival news footage from 1972, including appearances by Jim McKay and Peter Jennings. "Munich," "inspired by real events," as it was introduced, is certainly not a historical document. By breaking down the wall between historical document and historical fiction, however, Spielberg is demonstrating a seriousness of engagement. He gains a bit of trust with this maneuver, combined with the comforting voice of now-deceased Peter Jennings. Spielberg, even in his past ventures into historical fiction (see "Schindler's List," "Saving Private Ryan"), has shown a sensibility that tends towards black and white, hope and despair. This is part of what makes him a consummate storyteller. With "Munich," Spielberg ventures into shades of gray. He wishes to incite discussion rather than provide an easy answer.

That being said, it wouldn't be a Spielberg film without a compelling narrative. "Munich" is by no means a dry, lecture hall experience. The main action of the film is the story of five Israelis operating in deep cover to assassinate 11 men supposedly responsible for the planning and execution of the Munich massacre. So it's an action film, but deliberately paced at the same time. The assassinations unfold with a sort of staged elegance, even as they are continually botched and complicated.

The anti-terrorist agents gain humanity with their limited skill as assassins. The team is headed by Avner (Eric Bana) and includes a toy-maker (who can also make bombs) and a man whose job is "to worry." In other words, this is not a film that embraces the genre type of the super-spy. There are no James Bonds or Jason Bournes in this picture. There are only people. Bombs are made incorrectly. One man is unable to finish his mission for moral reasons. When Avner and another agent come across their first target, an elderly man holding a bag of groceries, Avner nearly lowers his gun. Spielberg goes to considerable lengths to create fully-realized, even likable members of the Black September organization. Eventually, we are to realize that almost everyone involved is participating in violence to protect or avenge their country and their family - often interchangeable concepts. They are killing out of a sense of moral responsibility, but violence begets violence. One character remarks that it may be 100 years before the fighting is done. Now, over 30 years later, I fear it may take longer than that.

Avner is the main character and the moral eye of the film, and Bana plays him skillfully. Avner's wife is pregnant when he is called upon by the Israeli Prime Minister to go on a mission about which he can tell no one, and which may last for years. Out of a sense of duty to his country and his home Avner accepts the mission. Because of the kind of man he is, and the circumstances in which he operates, Avner must not give away too much. Bana knows this and allows the character's humanity to resonate subtly before exploding at the film's close when he is forced to grapple with what he has done, and the haunting realization that he might have compromised his own morality for nothing. As one terrorist leader falls, another replaces him, equally ruthless.

Israel continues to be subject to terrorism. Much of the film is actually about the idea of home. A home for the Jews, for the Palestinians. The irony of the film is that as Avner kills to protect his home, he is taken further and further from it, across Europe and eventually moving his family from Israel to Brooklyn. It is in New York that Spielberg ends the film, with a shot of two standing towers.